The city of Oakland, California held nonpartisan elections for mayor and city council on November 4, 2014. The filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was August 8, 2014. In Districts 2 and 4, however, the deadline was extended to August 13, 2014, because an incumbent did not file to run.[1] Three of the eight city council seats - Districts 2, 4 and 6 - were up for election.

In the races for mayor and District 6, incumbents Jean Quan and Desley Brooks ran for re-election. Districts 2 and 4, on the other hand, were both open seats. District 2 incumbent Patricia Kernighan decided not to seek re-election, while District 4 incumbent Elizabeth "Libby" Schaaf ran for mayor. The former announced her retirement in December 2013.[2]

Ranked-choice voting

The Oakland 2014 municipal elections marked the second election cycle in which the city used ranked-choice voting, or, as it is sometimes referred to, instant-runoff voting.[3] First used in Oakland in 2010, ranked-choice voting allows voters to select up to three candidates on the ballot and to rank them from one to three. After the polls have closed, if a single candidate has received a majority (50%) of first place votes, that candidate is declared the winner. If no candidate has received a majority of first place votes, this triggers an elimination process. In the elimination process, the candidate with the fewest amount of first place votes is removed. Then, the second place votes on the ballots that ranked the eliminated candidate first are transferred to the respective candidates and calculated as first place votes. This process continues until a single candidate holds a majority.[3][4]

Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Election results

Ranked-choice voting allows voters to select up to three candidates on the ballot and to rank them from one to three. After the polls have closed, if a single candidate has received a majority (50%) of first place votes, that candidate is declared the winner. If no candidate has received a majority of first place votes, this triggers an elimination process. In the elimination process, the candidate with the fewest amount of first place votes is removed. Then, the second place votes on the ballots that ranked the eliminated candidate first are transferred to the respective candidates and calculated as first place votes. This process continues until a single candidate holds a majority. In ranked-choice voting, transfer refers to votes being moved from a defeated candidate to the next person on a voter's preference list, while exhausted refers to votes for candidates removed from the pool because there are no candidates left on a voter's preference list to transfer them to.

Legend: Eliminated in current round Most votes Lost

This is the first round of voting. To view subsequent rounds, click the [show] button next to that round.

Mayor of Oakland, 2014, Round 1

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Transfer

Charles Ray Williams

1%

1,052

+1

Dan Siegel

12.9%

13,122

+3

Rebecca Kaplan

14.4%

14,693

+4

Jason "Shake" Anderson

1.5%

1,550

+1

Courtney Ruby

3.1%

3,115

+0

Eric Wilson

0.4%

393

+0

Saied Karamooz

0.3%

264

+1

Patrick K. McCullough

0.4%

362

+1

Nancy Sidebotham

0.3%

267

+0

Peter Yuan Liu

0.5%

464

+1

Joseph Tuman

12%

12,251

+0

Ken Houston

0.5%

518

+0

Bryan Parker

7.8%

7,955

+3

Elizabeth "Libby" Schaaf - Most votes

29.5%

30,041

+0

Jean Quan

15.5%

15,808

+3

Write-in

0%

0

+0

Sammuel Washington - Eliminated

0%

33

-33

Exhausted

2,946

+15

Total Votes

104,834

0

Note: Negative numbers in the transfer total are due to exhaustion by over votes.

Mayor of Oakland, 2014, Round 2

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Transfer

Charles Ray Williams

1%

1,053

+3

Dan Siegel

12.9%

13,125

+62

Rebecca Kaplan

14.4%

14,697

+21

Jason "Shake" Anderson

1.5%

1,551

+25

Courtney Ruby

3.1%

3,115

+16

Eric Wilson

0.4%

393

+6

Saied Karamooz - Eliminated

0.3%

265

-265

Patrick K. McCullough

0.4%

363

+10

Nancy Sidebotham

0.3%

267

+4

Peter Yuan Liu

0.5%

465

+14

Joseph Tuman

12%

12,251

+16

Ken Houston

0.5%

518

+5

Bryan Parker

7.8%

7,958

+8

Elizabeth "Libby" Schaaf - Most votes

29.5%

30,041

+28

Jean Quan

15.5%

15,811

+16

Write-in

0%

0

+0

Sammuel Washington

0%

0

+0

Exhausted

2,961

+31

Total Votes

104,834

0

Note: Negative numbers in the transfer total are due to exhaustion by over votes.

Mayor of Oakland, 2014, Round 3

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Transfer

Charles Ray Williams

1%

1,056

+10

Dan Siegel

12.9%

13,187

+16

Rebecca Kaplan

14.5%

14,718

+40

Jason "Shake" Anderson

1.5%

1,576

+3

Courtney Ruby

3.1%

3,131

+32

Eric Wilson

0.4%

399

+17

Saied Karamooz

0%

0

+0

Patrick K. McCullough

0.4%

373

+10

Nancy Sidebotham - Eliminated

0.3%

271

-271

Peter Yuan Liu

0.5%

479

+9

Joseph Tuman

12%

12,267

+14

Ken Houston

0.5%

523

+13

Bryan Parker

7.8%

7,966

+19

Elizabeth "Libby" Schaaf - Most votes

29.5%

30,069

+23

Jean Quan

15.5%

15,827

+19

Write-in

0%

0

+0

Sammuel Washington

0%

0

+0

Exhausted

2,992

+46

Total Votes

104,834

0

Note: Negative numbers in the transfer total are due to exhaustion by over votes.

Mayor of Oakland, 2014, Round 4

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Transfer

Charles Ray Williams

1%

1,066

+33

Dan Siegel

13%

13,203

+28

Rebecca Kaplan

14.5%

14,758

+46

Jason "Shake" Anderson

1.6%

1,579

+23

Courtney Ruby

3.1%

3,163

+22

Eric Wilson

0.4%

416

+14

Saied Karamooz

0%

0

+0

Patrick K. McCullough - Eliminated

0.4%

383

-383

Nancy Sidebotham

0%

0

+0

Peter Yuan Liu

0.5%

488

+20

Joseph Tuman

12.1%

12,281

+28

Ken Houston

0.5%

536

+20

Bryan Parker

7.8%

7,985

+35

Elizabeth "Libby" Schaaf - Most votes

29.6%

30,092

+25

Jean Quan

15.6%

15,846

+26

Write-in

0%

0

+0

Sammuel Washington

0%

0

+0

Exhausted

3,038

+63

Total Votes

104,834

0

Note: Negative numbers in the transfer total are due to exhaustion by over votes.

Mayor of Oakland, 2014, Round 5

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Transfer

Charles Ray Williams

1.1%

1,099

+46

Dan Siegel

13%

13,231

+70

Rebecca Kaplan

14.6%

14,804

+65

Jason "Shake" Anderson

1.6%

1,602

+15

Courtney Ruby

3.1%

3,185

+19

Eric Wilson - Eliminated

0.4%

430

-430

Saied Karamooz

0%

0

+0

Patrick K. McCullough

0%

0

+0

Nancy Sidebotham

0%

0

+0

Peter Yuan Liu

0.5%

508

+21

Joseph Tuman

12.1%

12,309

+27

Ken Houston

0.5%

556

+21

Bryan Parker

7.9%

8,020

+18

Elizabeth "Libby" Schaaf - Most votes

29.6%

30,117

+16

Jean Quan

15.6%

15,872

+34

Write-in

0%

0

+0

Sammuel Washington

0%

0

+0

Exhausted

3,101

+78

Total Votes

104,834

0

Note: Negative numbers in the transfer total are due to exhaustion by over votes.

Mayor of Oakland, 2014, Round 6

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Transfer

Charles Ray Williams

1.1%

1,145

+27

Dan Siegel

13.1%

13,301

+52

Rebecca Kaplan

14.6%

14,869

+33

Jason "Shake" Anderson

1.6%

1,617

+6

Courtney Ruby

3.2%

3,204

+43

Eric Wilson

0%

0

+0

Saied Karamooz

0%

0

+0

Patrick K. McCullough

0%

0

+0

Nancy Sidebotham

0%

0

+0

Peter Yuan Liu - Eliminated

0.5%

529

-529

Joseph Tuman

12.1%

12,336

+42

Ken Houston

0.6%

577

+27

Bryan Parker

7.9%

8,038

+42

Elizabeth "Libby" Schaaf - Most votes

29.6%

30,133

+40

Jean Quan

15.6%

15,906

+76

Write-in

0%

0

+0

Sammuel Washington

0%

0

+0

Exhausted

3,179

141

Total Votes

104,834

0

Note: Negative numbers in the transfer total are due to exhaustion by over votes.

Mayor of Oakland, 2014, Round 7

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Transfer

Charles Ray Williams

1.2%

1,172

+28

Dan Siegel

13.2%

13,353

+52

Rebecca Kaplan

14.7%

14,902

+119

Jason "Shake" Anderson

1.6%

1,623

+27

Courtney Ruby

3.2%

3,247

+17

Eric Wilson

0%

0

+0

Saied Karamooz

0%

0

+0

Patrick K. McCullough

0%

0

+0

Nancy Sidebotham

0%

0

+0

Peter Yuan Liu

0%

0

+0

Joseph Tuman

12.2%

12,378

+42

Ken Houston - Eliminated

0.6%

604

-604

Bryan Parker

8%

8,080

+62

Elizabeth "Libby" Schaaf - Most votes

29.7%

30,173

+39

Jean Quan

15.7%

15,982

+44

Write-in

0%

0

+0

Sammuel Washington

0%

0

+0

Exhausted

3,320

+174

Total Votes

104,834

0

Note: Negative numbers in the transfer total are due to exhaustion by over votes.

Mayor of Oakland, 2014, Round 8

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Transfer

Charles Ray Williams - Eliminated

1.2%

1,200

-1,200

Dan Siegel

13.2%

13,405

+193

Rebecca Kaplan

14.8%

15,021

+164

Jason "Shake" Anderson

1.6%

1,650

+91

Courtney Ruby

3.2%

3,264

+56

Eric Wilson

0%

0

+0

Saied Karamooz

0%

0

+0

Patrick K. McCullough

0%

0

+0

Nancy Sidebotham

0%

0

+0

Peter Yuan Liu

0%

0

+0

Joseph Tuman

12.3%

12,420

+67

Ken Houston

0%

0

+0

Bryan Parker

8%

8,142

+83

Elizabeth "Libby" Schaaf - Most votes

29.8%

30,212

+44

Jean Quan

15.8%

16,026

+112

Write-in

0%

0

+0

Sammuel Washington

0%

0

+0

Exhausted

3,494

390

Total Votes

104,834

0

Note: Negative numbers in the transfer total are due to exhaustion by over votes.

Mayor of Oakland, 2014, Round 9

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Transfer

Charles Ray Williams

0%

0

+0

Dan Siegel

13.5%

13,598

+965

Rebecca Kaplan

15%

15,185

+194

Jason "Shake" Anderson - Eliminated

1.7%

1,741

-1,741

Courtney Ruby

3.3%

3,320

+44

Eric Wilson

0%

0

+0

Saied Karamooz

0%

0

+0

Patrick K. McCullough

0%

0

+0

Nancy Sidebotham

0%

0

+0

Peter Yuan Liu

0%

0

+0

Joseph Tuman

12.4%

12,487

+52

Ken Houston

0%

0

+0

Bryan Parker

8.1%

8,225

+54

Elizabeth "Libby" Schaaf - Most votes

30%

30,256

+104

Jean Quan

16%

16,138

+79

Write-in

0%

0

+0

Sammuel Washington

0%

0

+0

Exhausted

3,884

+249

Total Votes

104,834

0

Note: Negative numbers in the transfer total are due to exhaustion by over votes.

Mayor of Oakland, 2014, Round 10

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Transfer

Charles Ray Williams

0%

0

+0

Dan Siegel

14.5%

14,563

+268

Rebecca Kaplan

15.3%

15,379

+320

Jason "Shake" Anderson

0%

0

+0

Courtney Ruby - Eliminated

3.3%

3,364

-3,364

Eric Wilson

0%

0

+0

Saied Karamooz

0%

0

+0

Patrick K. McCullough

0%

0

+0

Nancy Sidebotham

0%

0

+0

Peter Yuan Liu

0%

0

+0

Joseph Tuman

12.5%

12,539

+801

Ken Houston

0%

0

+0

Bryan Parker

8.2%

8,279

+272

Elizabeth "Libby" Schaaf - Most votes

30.1%

30,360

+953

Jean Quan

16.1%

16,217

+198

Write-in

0%

0

+0

Sammuel Washington

0%

0

+0

Exhausted

4,133

+552

Total Votes

104,834

0

Note: Negative numbers in the transfer total are due to exhaustion by over votes.

Mayor of Oakland, 2014, Round 11

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Transfer

Charles Ray Williams

0%

0

+0

Dan Siegel

14.8%

14,831

+987

Rebecca Kaplan

15.7%

15,699

+1,324

Jason "Shake" Anderson

0%

0

+0

Courtney Ruby

0%

0

+0

Eric Wilson

0%

0

+0

Saied Karamooz

0%

0

+0

Patrick K. McCullough

0%

0

+0

Nancy Sidebotham

0%

0

+0

Peter Yuan Liu

0%

0

+0

Joseph Tuman

13.3%

13,340

+1,533

Ken Houston

0%

0

+0

Bryan Parker - Eliminated

8.5%

8,551

-8,551

Elizabeth "Libby" Schaaf - Most votes

31.3%

31,313

+1,867

Jean Quan

16.4%

16,415

+741

Write-in

0%

0

+0

Sammuel Washington

0%

0

+0

Exhausted

4,685

+2,099

Total Votes

104,834

0

Note: Negative numbers in the transfer total are due to exhaustion by over votes.

Mayor of Oakland, 2014, Round 12

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Transfer

Charles Ray Williams

0%

0

+0

Dan Siegel

16.1%

15,818

+1,584

Rebecca Kaplan

17.4%

17,023

+1,639

Jason "Shake" Anderson

0%

0

+0

Courtney Ruby

0%

0

+0

Eric Wilson

0%

0

+0

Saied Karamooz

0%

0

+0

Patrick K. McCullough

0%

0

+0

Nancy Sidebotham

0%

0

+0

Peter Yuan Liu

0%

0

+0

Joseph Tuman - Eliminated

15.2%

14,873

-14,873

Ken Houston

0%

0

+0

Bryan Parker

0%

0

+0

Elizabeth "Libby" Schaaf - Most votes

33.8%

33,180

+6,761

Jean Quan

17.5%

17,156

+893

Write-in

0%

0

+0

Sammuel Washington

0%

0

+0

Exhausted

6,784

+3,996

Total Votes

104,834

0

Note: Negative numbers in the transfer total are due to exhaustion by over votes.

Mayor of Oakland, 2014, Round 13

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Transfer

Charles Ray Williams

0%

0

+0

Dan Siegel - Eliminated

18.5%

17,402

-17,402

Rebecca Kaplan

19.8%

18,662

+4,679

Jason "Shake" Anderson

0%

0

+0

Courtney Ruby

0%

0

+0

Eric Wilson

0%

0

+0

Saied Karamooz

0%

0

+0

Patrick K. McCullough

0%

0

+0

Nancy Sidebotham

0%

0

+0

Peter Yuan Liu

0%

0

+0

Joseph Tuman

0%

0

+0

Ken Houston

0%

0

+0

Bryan Parker

0%

0

+0

Elizabeth "Libby" Schaaf - Most votes

42.5%

39,941

+3,877

Jean Quan

19.2%

18,049

+2,476

Write-in

0%

0

+0

Sammuel Washington

0%

0

+0

Exhausted

10,780

+6,370

Total Votes

104,834

0

Note: Negative numbers in the transfer total are due to exhaustion by over votes.

Mayor of Oakland, 2014, Round 14

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Transfer

Charles Ray Williams

0%

0

+0

Dan Siegel

0%

0

+0

Rebecca Kaplan

26.6%

23,341

+5,080

Jason "Shake" Anderson

0%

0

+0

Courtney Ruby

0%

0

+0

Eric Wilson

0%

0

+0

Saied Karamooz

0%

0

+0

Patrick K. McCullough

0%

0

+0

Nancy Sidebotham

0%

0

+0

Peter Yuan Liu

0%

0

+0

Joseph Tuman

0%

0

+0

Ken Houston

0%

0

+0

Bryan Parker

0%

0

+0

Elizabeth "Libby" Schaaf - Most votes

50%

43,818

+4,988

Jean Quan - Eliminated

23.4%

20,525

-20,525

Write-in

0%

0

+0

Sammuel Washington

0%

0

+0

Exhausted

17,150

+10,457

Total Votes

104,834

0

Note: Negative numbers in the transfer total are due to exhaustion by over votes.

This is the final round of voting. To view previous rounds, click the [show] button next to that round.

Mayor of Oakland, 2014, Final Round

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Transfer

Charles Ray Williams

0%

0

+0

Dan Siegel

0%

0

+0

Rebecca Kaplan - Eliminated

36.8%

28,421

+0

Jason "Shake" Anderson

0%

0

+0

Courtney Ruby

0%

0

+0

Eric Wilson

0%

0

+0

Saied Karamooz

0%

0

+0

Patrick K. McCullough

0%

0

+0

Nancy Sidebotham

0%

0

+0

Peter Yuan Liu

0%

0

+0

Joseph Tuman

0%

0

+0

Ken Houston

0%

0

+0

Bryan Parker

0%

0

+0

Elizabeth "Libby" Schaaf - Winner

63.2%

48,806

+0

Jean Quan

0%

0

+0

Write-in

0%

0

+0

Sammuel Washington

0%

0

+0

Exhausted

27,607

0

Total Votes

104,834

0

Note: Negative numbers in the transfer total are due to exhaustion by over votes.

City council

Candidate list

District 2

Note: Incumbent Patricia Kernighan did not run for re-election.November 4 General election candidates:

Polling

Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Polling

Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Election results

District 2

Ranked-choice voting allows voters to select up to three candidates on the ballot and to rank them from one to three. After the polls have closed, if a single candidate has received a majority (50%) of first place votes, that candidate is declared the winner. If no candidate has received a majority of first place votes, this triggers an elimination process. In the elimination process, the candidate with the fewest amount of first place votes is removed. Then, the second place votes on the ballots that ranked the eliminated candidate first are transferred to the respective candidates and calculated as first place votes. This process continues until a single candidate holds a majority. In ranked-choice voting, transfer refers to votes being moved from a defeated candidate to the next person on a voter's preference list, while exhausted refers to votes for candidates removed from the pool because there are no candidates left on a voter's preference list to transfer them to.

Legend: Eliminated in current round Most votes Lost

This is the first round of voting. To view subsequent rounds, click the [show] button next to that round.

Oakland City Council, District 2, 2014, Round 1

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Transfer

Abel Guillen - Most votes

36%

4,886

+67

Ken Maxey - Eliminated

2.3%

311

-311

Dana King

32.9%

4,459

+73

Kevin Blackburn

9.6%

1,299

+55

Andrew Park

19.2%

2,600

+53

Exhausted

17,388

+63

Total Votes

30,943

0

Note: Negative numbers in the transfer total are due to exhaustion by over votes.

Oakland City Council, District 2, 2014, Round 2

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Transfer

Abel Guillen - Most votes

36.7%

4,953

+354

Ken Maxey

0%

0

+0

Dana King

33.6%

4,532

+431

Kevin Blackburn - Eliminated

10%

1,354

-1,354

Andrew Park

19.7%

2,653

+346

Exhausted

1,801

+223

Total Votes

15,293

0

Note: Negative numbers in the transfer total are due to exhaustion by over votes.

Oakland City Council, District 2, 2014, Round 3

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Transfer

Abel Guillen - Most votes

40%

5,307

+1,240

Ken Maxey

0%

0

+0

Dana King

37.4%

4,963

+837

Kevin Blackburn

0%

0

+0

Andrew Park - Eliminated

22.6%

2,999

-2,999

Exhausted

2,024

922

Total Votes

15,293

0

Note: Negative numbers in the transfer total are due to exhaustion by over votes.

This is the final round of voting. To view previous rounds, click the [show] button next to that round.

Oakland City Council, District 2, 2014, Final Round

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Transfer

Abel Guillen - Winner

53%

6,547

+0

Ken Maxey

0%

0

+0

Dana King - Eliminated

47%

5,800

+0

Kevin Blackburn

0%

0

+0

Andrew Park

0%

0

+0

Exhausted

2,946

+0

Total Votes

15,293

0

Note: Negative numbers in the transfer total are due to exhaustion by over votes.

District 6

This is the first round of voting. To view subsequent rounds, click the [show] button next to that round.

Oakland City Council, District 6, 2014, Round 1

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Transfer

Desley Brooks - Most votes

42.8%

4,772

+21

Sherdea F. Nosakhare

30%

3,354

+37

James Moore

9.1%

1,011

+2

Michael V. Johnson

17.4%

1,943

+1

Vicente Cruz - Eliminated

0.7%

82

-82

Exhausted

1,221

+21

Total Votes

12,383

0

Note: Negative numbers in the transfer total are due to exhaustion by over votes.

Oakland City Council, District 6, 2014, Round 2

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Transfer

Desley Brooks - Most votes

43%

4,793

+166

Sherdea F. Nosakhare

30.4%

3,391

+313

James Moore - Eliminated

9.1%

1,013

-1,013

Michael V. Johnson

17.4%

1,944

+299

Vicente Cruz

0%

0

+0

Exhausted

1,242

+235

Total Votes

12,383

0

Note: Negative numbers in the transfer total are due to exhaustion by over votes.

Oakland City Council, District 6, 2014, Round 3

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Transfer

Desley Brooks - Most votes

45.5%

4,959

+471

Sherdea F. Nosakhare

34%

3,704

+1,242

James Moore

0%

0

+0

Michael V. Johnson - Eliminated

20.6%

2,243

-2,243

Vicente Cruz

0%

0

+0

Exhausted

1,477

+530

Total Votes

12,383

0

Note: Negative numbers in the transfer total are due to exhaustion by over votes.

This is the final round of voting. To view previous rounds, click the [show] button next to that round.

Oakland City Council, District 6, 2014, Final Round

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Transfer

Desley Brooks - Winner

52.3%

5,430

+0

Sherdea F. Nosakhare - Eliminated

47.7%

4,946

+0

James Moore

0%

0

+0

Michael V. Johnson

0%

0

+0

Vicente Cruz

0%

0

+0

Exhausted

2,007

+0

Total Votes

12,383

0

Note: Negative numbers in the transfer total are due to exhaustion by over votes.

Issues

Public safety

With one of the highest violent crime and recidivism rates in the state of California, public safety was a frequent topic of discussion in Oakland's 2014 municipal elections.[5] Candidates tackled the city's crime problems from a variety of different perspectives, with some pushing for a larger police presence, while others focused on creating a higher-quality police force through training.[6]

Oakland police at the Occupy Oakland protests in October 2011.

Police militarization

Closely related to the issue of public safety were questions surrounding what some called police "militarization" - in reference to the acquisition and use of military grade weaponry and armor by the Oakland police department. The issue became a point of contention in Oakland after an Oakland police officer struck an Iraq war veteran named Scott Olsen in the head with a "flexible baton round" in the Occupy Oakland protests of October 2011 (see image right). Olsen received permanent brain injuries from the incident and filed a federal suit against the city, which ended in March 2014 with a settlement that awarded $4.5 million to Olson. Twelve other Oaklanders, who sustained injuries in the same protests, received $1.17 million.[7] The debate over militarization in Oakland continued in the wake of the riots in Ferguson, Missouri that occurred in the late summer of 2014 and after a large-scale police training exercise and equipment trade show called Urban Shield took place in the city in early September.[8][9] Opinions on police militarization amongst Oakland's 2014 candidates varied from outright condemnation to vocal support.[6][10]

Economic inequality

In February 2014, a study from the Brookings Institution ranked Oakland seventh in the nation in terms of the city's economic inequality. The report found that between 2007 and 2012 the average income of Oakland households in the 20th percentile averaged about $17,646 per year while households in the 95th percentile averaged about $223,965 per year.[11] Only three years before the Brookings study was released, the U.S. Census Bureau found that approximately 27% of the city's children live in households with an income of $23,000 or less.[12]

For many of Oakland's 2014 municipal candidates, the question of how to grapple with this issue was a focal point. Candidate arguments included creating new job opportunities in the city's port, focusing on education and supporting "Measure FF," a 2014 ballot measure that asked voters to approve or disapprove raising the city's minimum wage to $12.25 per hour.[6]

Professional sports

The Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum as viewed from the south.

Oakland’s professional sports teams also entered the mix in 2014. In 2006, Oaklanders were faced with the possibility that the city’s professional baseball team, the A’s, could relocate to elsewhere in California. The team's interest in relocating stemmed largely from its dissatisfaction with their Oakland venue, the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, an older stadium that the A's share with the Oakland Raiders, the city’s professional football team. In 2006, the A’s initiated a plan to relocate to the city of Fresno, California under the agreement that Fresno would construct a new stadium. In 2009, however, it was announced that the deal had fallen through.[13] Over the summer of 2014, the city of Oakland made some progress toward keeping the A’s in Oakland when the team agreed to a ten-year contract with the city. The deal dictated that the A’s would pay a $1.7 million penalty per year if they left Oakland before the contract expired. However, the deal also required the city to begin exploring the possibility of constructing of a new stadium. Negotiations between Oakland and the A’s were still ongoing at the time of the 2014 elections.[14]

The Oakland Raiders also signaled an interest in relocating. With their contract ending in 2014, the Raiders entertained offers from other cities such as Santa Clara, California, Los Angeles, California and San Antonio, Texas. Once again, the problem revolved around dissatisfaction with the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum. In September 2014, it was reported that the city had offered a deal to the Raiders involving the construction a new $1.2 billion stadium. Though projected future revenues from the complex would pay for most of the construction costs, part of the deal required Oakland to absorb $120 million in debt from renovations to the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum that were done in the 1990s.[15] As of September 19, negotiations were still ongoing.[16]

The possibility of the A's and/or the Raiders leaving Oakland became an important political issue in Oakland. Both teams have long histories with the city and are generally considered to be important parts of the Oakland economy. Equally important, however, was the question of how the city would pay off the $120 million debt involved in the potential deal with the Raiders.[6][17]

Recent news

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